the.com/infamy
Fame's evil twin — same spotlight, worse Wikipedia page.
means A reputation so thoroughly disgraceful that it becomes widely and permanently known — the dark twin of celebrity.
from From Latin infamis, 'without good repute' — in- ('not') fused onto fama ('reputation, fame, report'). The same root fama gives us 'fame' itself, which is why the two words feel like siblings: one lucky, one cursed. It entered English through Old French infamie around the medieval period, already carrying its legal-moral sting — used for people officially stripped of honor or standing, before settling into its broader, everyday meaning of notorious disgrace.
- etymology
- latin infamia, literally without good reputation
- key distinction
- fame is liked, infamy is just remembered
- famous usage
- fdr called pearl harbor a date of infamy
- the irony
- craving it still counts as craving attention